If you have a garden bed or any kind of garden for that matter, you have weeds. These pesky plants are stubbornly pervasive and there’s no way to get rid of them without going crazy with chemicals. If you’re tired of pulling the weeds yourself, you probably have considered paying someone to do it. If so, you’re now faced with the conundrum: how much to pay someone to pull weeds?
How To Decide How Much To Pay Someone To Pull Weeds
The first factor to consider when weighing how much to pay someone to pull weeds is whether or not they are professionals. Are you hiring the neighbor kid to pull weeds, or are you hiring a professional landscaper? Depending on the answer to that question you will likely have two very different answers.
Paying the neighbor kid some extra cash to pull weeds means you could pay them per weed or by the wheelbarrow full. Alternatively, you can pay them by the hour. Most of the time it’s best to pay on some sort of quantity basis if you can. Always check with your state to find out what is legal before entering into any sort of agreement related to labor.
Why Is Hiring A Professional Better To Pull Weeds?
If you’re hiring a professional landscaper, they’ll usually tell you how much you will be paying them to pull weeds. Often on an hourly basis they will pull weeds and keep your property maintained. When you hire professionals you will get a better result. They usually know how to get more of the root out which prevents the weeds from coming up as quickly in the same spot. You can never get the whole root as they eventually break off and will re-sprout another weed, but getting the majority helps.
Weed pulling is back breaking work. If you have a professional doing it, remember that regardless what they are charging you, you should always tip landscapers. You don’t have to do it every time of course, but it’s a good practice to follow to keep them coming back with a good attitude year after year.
How Much To Pay Someone To Pull Weeds?
Professional weeding services on Thumbtack cost $40 – 70/hour. However, you can likely save money with a non-professional alternative. Hiring a local teenager should cost between $20 – 30/hour. Depending on how many weeds you have, this can be significant difference in the amount you pay. If you are strictly looking for help weeding and not other landscape maintenance, hire a non-professional.
Things To Remember When Hiring Non-Professionals
When you’re paying a family member or neighbor kid to pull weeds and you’re doing it on a per weed or wheelbarrow full of weeds basis remember to make it fun. Weed pulling is hard work. Oftentimes it’s sunny and hot, and the fun can wear off quick. Encourage them to bring music, a podcast or whatever makes them happy. Bring them cold drinks and offer lunch if they’ll be working more than an hour.
As someone who once worked as a weed puller for my neighbor growing up, I can tell you the fun of it all made the payment a secondary goal. Racing my siblings in a weeding contest down the rows in our neighbors garden made it fun. My neighbor would bring out lemonade, encourage us to take breaks and get out of the sun. Overall they showed a great appreciation for the work me and my siblings were doing.
Later on, when our neighbor showed up with a bunch of snow peas, it made you feel like your labors were going toward something worth your time. Keep in mind the additional benefits you can provide when weighing how much to pay someone to pull weeds.
